Durability of Apple Watches. - Should an Apple Watch last 5 years?

[medicinejar]

Hi everyone,

I have a bad experience with two Apple 3 watches. I bought one in 2018 and my expectation was it would last 5 years. The watch face popped off on me after about 4 years. Apple offered me to buy a replacement Apple 3 for about $200 and change (CDN) - which I did. I was hoping I would get at least 2 years out of it but the same problem happened yesterday about 17/18 months after the purchase. In neither case was there incident that would help to break the watch (e.g., a fall, or something crushing it). Apple said the first one was not due to battery swelling and therefore would not replace it for free.

The problem is I really like the watch and I’m considering either buying an SE or an Apple series 9. im looking for feedback on the physical improvements to the watches. Has the general durability improved? Has the swelling battery issue been resolved. I’ve done some searching online but not found anything that addresses these issues directly. I’m prepared to buy another Apple watch, but my expectation is that this will last 5 years. Is this unreasonable to expect?

All feedback would be appreciated.

 

[Howard2k]

Apple can't have been manufacturing the S3 for many years now. Even though Apple gave you one 17/18 months ago it likely was not a newly manufactured unit. I'm not saying 100% that it was not a brand new battery but I think there's certainly a reasonable chance that it was a battery manufactured some time ago that sat on a shelf (and aged).

All li-ion batteries will swell eventually. Buying a new unit will mean you have a younger battery, generally.

I would expect 3 years out of the watch. More than that and I'd consider those bonus miles.

 

[BenGoren]

My wife is still rocking her S4. We both got the S4 on release day; mine only died last year after spending too much time wearing it in the surf.

If it’s durability you’re worried about, get an Ultra. If you manage to damage it, the condition of the watch will be the least of your worries as you learn to adapt to life as an amputee.

No, seriously. See this article from about the time of the Ultra’s release where a couple guys dragged it behind a car, sparks flying. The watch was just fine afterwards.

Apple Watch Ultra Stands Up to Major Abuse in Latest Durability Test

Inspired by "the most extreme activities," the Apple Watch Ultra features a rugged design with a titanium case and a flat display with a...

www.macrumors.com

Cheers,

b&

 

[JustAnExpat]

I would assume four years for an Apple Watch. Any more and consider it a bonus.

 

[AlanMarron]

I have a series 4 with discoloration around the edges of the screen and an iffy battery. I wear it when it's likely my watch will get (more) scuffs on the screen. It must be fresh off the charger as it will not hold a charge for longer than 4 or 5 hours, even when powered down.

I recently bought a 9 to compliment my 7 so I can wear a watch 24/7 for health monitoring. (Autistic folk are like that.) I find no real-world degradation in the battery of my 7 after two years. The watch reports it at 81%!

I consider my watches and iPhones to be consumables, like the tires on my car and motorcycles. Oh—and the batteries of my car and motorcycles. And the brakes, ... Before long, my refrigerator will fail and the pump on the cistern is already on the way out.

 

[xraydoc]

AppleCare with the option to keep it going per month for a small fee each month.

 

[JonMPLS]

I have a 5 that's fine except for a battery a little below 80%. Think I will upgrade this time around, but I could get by with a battery replacement.

 

[medicinejar]

Thank-you all for your suggestions. I will be buying one this week. I am leaning to the SE 2 as it will probably fit my needs. The Ultra sounds fantastic but sadly is out of my price range.

 

[adam1080]

Just retired my launch day S4.

It’s still in great shape and other than the battery health in the 75% ish range, works great.

I just don’t think it’s worth replacing the battery. As is, it would be great for a kid, but I don’t have anyone that wants it.

As someone that upgrades their phone almost every year, and bought the S4 with the plan of doing the same… 5 years seems doable. I stopped caring about the S4 years ago, but I am a naturally careful person.

Battery health/swelling is a bit of a lottery, but you can always replace the battery with AppleCare or full price if you want it to last longer.

I’m sure this Ultra 2 will last a LONG time whether I am using it or pass it on to someone else. It’s a big upgrade from the S4.

 

[Jay Tee]

If it’s durability you’re worried about, get an Ultra. If you manage to damage it, the condition of the watch will be the least of your worries as you learn to adapt to life as an amputee.

No, seriously. See this article from about the time of the Ultra’s release where a couple guys dragged it behind a car, sparks flying. The watch was just fine afterwards.

I would assume four years for an Apple Watch. Any more and consider it a bonus.

I have a 5 that's fine except for a battery a little below 80%. Think I will upgrade this time around, but I could get by with a battery replacement.

I really dislike the look of the Ultra Watch. I do like the Series 9 though, especially a Graphite SS.

Would you expect the Graphite SS to last 5 years if also used for jogging and gym work ?

 

[JustAnExpat]

I really dislike the look of the Ultra Watch. I do like the Series 9 though, especially a Graphite SS.

Would you expect the Graphite SS to last 5 years if also used for jogging and gym work

I still think it should last for four years, because of the battery, physical use, and software updates. That's what I would assume at least.

 

[adam1080]

Having got 5 years + out of mine with just normal battery degradation, I think you will be fine.

 

[JustAnExpat]

Having got 5 years + out of mine with just normal battery degradation, I think you will be fine.

What watch did you have?

 

[adam1080]

What watch did you have?

S4. See more details in my post above.

 

[Total Respray]

S4 worn almost daily since launch and still going strong. Battery health 87% and while I’d like to upgrade it just keeps going…

 

[Dualica 01]

I replaced my S4 last year with a S8 because of battery degeneration. When using it a lot I ended up charging it twice/day. Apart from that it was (is) in very good condition. I still have it around in case I or another family member should need it for any given reason.

I had a S0 which I got on AW launch day. That one had the swollen battery issue after a year. Apple replaced the watch with a S1. Wasn’t aware they still have tthis happening 🤔

 

[M33-1]

I would assume four years for an Apple Watch. Any more and consider it a bonus.

I agree. I would expect the battery to expand and fail about this time. I’ve had a few Apple devices with expanded batteries that popped off the screens.

 

[msackey]

Having got 5 years + out of mine with just normal battery degradation, I think you will be fine.

I agree. I feel like an Apple Watch, not including the battery, should last a very long time. In fact, I think it should be expected in excess of 5 years as long as you are taking good care of it, not deliberately subjecting it to drops and shocks.

 

[msackey]

I agree. I would expect the battery to expand and fail about this time. I’ve had a few Apple devices with expanded batteries that popped off the screens.

If the battery expansion pops off the screen, shouldn't the cost of replacement from Apple be that of the replacement cost of a battery, which is about $99 (or was it $79?) for a Watch? What has Apple done in such cases?

I had a MacBook Pro with a swelling battery and any associated repairs/replacement parts (e.g., keyboard, bottom panel) were all built in as part of the cost of just replacing the battery. Hopefully Apple does that for watches too when it's the swelling battery that caused the issue.

 

[ZebraDude]

I have a First Generation Apple Watch SS that my mother uses for the Large watch face time keeping. I have a Series 3 LTE, Series 7 LTE & Series 9 LTE. The key for me is that I rotate the charge time to keep the watches off the charger as much as I can and then for me they last for a extremely long time.

 

[keithprater]

I’ve got a S4, S8, and Ultra. Never had a problem with any of them.

 

[Thirio2]

You pays your money and you takes your chances. My S0 lasted more than 4 years I just upgraded to the S4 because I wanted the new features. My S4 was still going strong when I upgraded to the Ultra 2. I’m not sure how to predict when a battery will swell. I have had 2 MBP’s have their battery swell and one of them was a 2015 that Apple replaced the original battery under a recall. I have 2 ancient Dell laptops and an older MBP that have shown no indication of battery swelling. Go figure.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

My Apple Watch S5 is now in its fifth year of use, but it is definitely showing its age. It is quite laggy and the battery is just about making it to bedtime now. I had to disable AOD after year one as this seemed to have a dramatic effect on the battery health.

I think an Apple watch can last 5 years, just.

 

[JonMPLS]

My Apple Watch S5 is now in its fifth year of use, but it is definitely showing its age. It is quite laggy and the battery is just about making it to bedtime now. I had to disable AOD after year one as this seemed to have a dramatic effect on the battery health.

I think an Apple watch can last 5 years, just.

Odd coincidence, but I just traded my S5 for an Ultra 2. For me the tipping point was that my S5 could not last one full day anymore. I know I could have replaced the battery, but decided it was time to upgrade.

 

[lkrupp]

FWIW I have a Series 0 Watch that still holds a charge sitting in my desk drawer. Your experience is definitely an outlier considering the millions of watched sold by Apple. Because you had issues does not mean those issues are common. In addition faces popping off the watch are almost 99% caused by a swelling battery. Li-ion batteries are notorious for doing that sometimes. This is true for any device that uses Li-ion batteries.

And if you do buy a new Watch be sure to include AppleCare+ as an extended warranty. Just before my Series 4 with AppleCare+ went put of warranty Apple offered me a monthly plan to keep the warranty in effect. I pay $3.99/mo that covers accidental damage, theft, and a steep discount on battery replacement. Worth every penny to me.